Dark Past
Chapter 1 I dreamed of my past. My father--I have almost forgotten him. He was a greek mythology expert. Often, we would go stargazing, and Dad would point out some constellations and tell me its story. When its time for me to go to bed, he would tell me about the adventures of Hercules. Then, we traveled to Greece. Dad showed me the Parthenon and some statues of the gods. We visited a few temples and museums, dad reciting myth after myth. I had looked up at him and smiled, while we were watching the sunset across the Mediterranean, and he smiled back, but his brown eyes was filled with sadness, as if remembering a painful memory. We often talk about my mom. He described her as a smart lady, and said I have her "beautiful" gray eyes. "Why did she leave, dad?" I asked. A shadow passed over his handsome face, making him looked forty instead of thirty years old. "She had to, she had an important job." Was all he said. I could see a tear making a path towards his chin, but I wiped it away. We spent hours in my father's study. It was my favorite place in the whole, wide, world. It was filled with shelves full of books about nothing but greek mythology. It had greek, life-size figures of the gods. There was my father's desk, with a tiny display of the greek Parthenon. With croissants and tea, we read about the gods and the famous Greek heroes. Nothing could compare to the happiness I felt with Dad just at my side, laughing and narrating the myths. After my sixth birthday, my dad said he was to go to San Francisco. I had begged to go with him. But he laughed good-naturedly and refused. When he was leaving, he had hugged me tight, kissed me on the forehead, and ruffled my hair. He gave me a necklace with a silver owl. I thanked him while casting my hand to brush away my falling tears. Then he drove off in his car. He promised he would contact me. He promisd he would come back. That promise was shattered. I never heard from him and I never saw him again. I was left with a nanny. She was very kind. She took care of me, cleaned our house, and even spruced up our gardens. She cooked delicious meals. She also makes terrific jokes. Her name was Em. She had dark hair and brown eyes. I thought she looked very pretty. She was smart, too. We often talk about Jason and the Argonauts. But when I was eight, she showed her true colors..... She was a monster. One night, I had insomnia. I listened to the thunderstorm outside, thinking about my dad. When I turned over my bed, I saw my nanny looking down at me. But she looked different. Her black hair was in flames, and she had an evil glint in her suddenly-creepy, red eyes. And her skin was very pale. She lunged at me with her talons and bared her fangs. But I dodged. She ripped my mattress instead. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I screamed, backing away fast. The monster slowly approached me. She striked with her claws. I kicked her and punched her. Finally, she managed to grab me. She was seconds away from slicing up my throat when I spit into her eye. She released her grasp and wailed. I frantically reached for something to defend myself and my fingers closed around a flower vase. Just when the freaky she-demon was getting over the pain and leaped at me, I whacked her on the head. She yelped. I took a pile of books and threw them at her. Frustrated, she glared at me and growled. "Soon, half-blood," She stepped back. "I will have your blood, soon." She erupted into a line of fire. The flames swallowed the furniture in my bedroom in record time and was spreading all over the house. I had managed to reach my father's study. I took a framed photo from his desk just as the fire pounded over the door. I tried to avoid the growing fire. Sparks shot down, nearly skewering me. A fiery beam blocked my path, but I moved around it and finally saw the exit. With tears in my eyes, I burst out of our home. As the rain beat me down, I looked back and sobbed. My heart was heavy. I twisted the owl pendant on my necklace and ran. Our house was burning down, along with the millions of memories my dad and I have spent. The next day, it will just be ashes. Chapter 2 After running probably many miles, I collapsed on the doorstep of someone's house. The door creaked open, and an old woman gasped. "Oh, Gordon, we should take the poor child in!." She said. I saw an old man stoop down and picked me up. He entered their house with the woman at his heels, worrying. "What happened, dear?" said the old woman as Gordon laid me down a couch near the fireplace. The woman handed me a cup of hot chocolate and a blanket. I was shivering madly, and I was thankful for the sudden warmth. I sat up, my head aching a bit. I explained everything between sips of chocolate. Instead of saying a monster had attacked me, I told them that a maniacal caretaker threatened to kill me. She had a torch and had burned down the place. She escaped, leaving me alone inside. I had barely survived because the fire was at large. The old woman ,whose name was Therese, nodded. Gordon smiled. They believed me. They said I can stay here. They gave me dinner and showed me a spare bedroom. I felt very grateful to them. I even kissed them goodnight. When Therese and Gordon exited the room, I took out the framed photo from my sweater pocket. It was a picture of me and my dad. I carefully removed the picture from the frame. Handwritten on the back was: Someday, Charlie, you will find the answers. You will know who you really are. You will face your destiny, a destiny closely linked to the mythology I have taught you.'' ''' My dream shifted. Gordon was driving in his old car with Therese and me. We were passing by a forest when Gordon crashed into something. A shadow had loomed over us. I was filled with fear and panic that I was afraid to look. Therese screamed as the car got tossed around, hitting the asphalt road with a loud ''THUD! Then everything became quiet. I didn't know whether Gordon or Therese had survived. I looked up, pain shooting up my head. I could feel the blood slowly trickling down my forehead. I saw a cannibal giant grinning at the disaster he had made as he disappeared into the forest. Then, I fell unconscious. The scene became a blur. When it came into focus again, I was in a hospital. The doctor was nice enough to explain what happened after the accident. A woman who was taking a daily jog saw the banged-up car and immediately notified the police. Twenty minutes later, the police came along with an ambulance. We were rushed to the hospital for medication. The doctor said that I only attained a few bruises and a nasty cut on the forehead. Therese and Gordon, however, wasn't so lucky. The Fates are so cruel. A police officer came with me to Therese and Gordon's house. I cried for two days, no meals, no sleep. Therese and Gordon were my family, and now, they were gone. The police see a right to take me to an orphanage. But I don't want to. So when the police officer, who was guarding me, wasn't looking, I slipped off the window, with nothing but my backpack with the framed photo of my dad and the picture of Therese and Gordon. I ran away with no destination in mind--again. Chapter 3 The dream changed. It was several weeks after I escaped Therese and Gordon's house. I was walking on an abandoned road, clutching a bronze knife I found in some place. It was nighttime, I think, eerily quiet, with only the crickets' song and an occasional owl's hoot. There was a crunch, and the ground cracked in front of me. I stepped back. There was a grunt, and a heavy impact blasted me five feet away from where I stood. From the shadows, a boar the size of a garbage truck appeared, its bronze fur bristling, polished brass hooves and wickedly silver tusks gleaming under the full moon. Its mouth was foaming, with red eyes glaring at me. It pawed the ground, then charged. I watched with horror as the doomsday porker neared me. Judging by size, that's the Calydonian boar, who was killed by the combined strength of many great heroes of Greece. How could I possibly defeat that thing? I'm one puny girl, not a Greek warrior. Oh, pfft. I hefted my dagger, as if it could kill that gigantic monster. Well, I lived a good life, even though tragedy always smacks me in the face. I waited for the creature, breathing heavily, as it came now only inches away. Oh, gods, I'm being crazy, giving the Calydonian boar the honor to strike me dead. Fortunately, common sense kicked in. I threw the dagger away, and somersaulted out of the boar's line of fire. It squealed when it passed me, and tilted its head a bit to skewer me with its tusks. I dodged. It slowed down, turned, then bolted for me again. The guy seriously wanted to kill me. I ran away, letting it chase me, so that I have time to figure out a plan, or just plain time to spend before I get crushed. An oak tree blocked my path, and I madly swerved to avoid it. I stumbled on the ground, and a single thought flashed in my mind. "That's it." But as I looked behind me, the boar's eyes was widening as it couldn't control its speed. It gave a squeal and crashed on the oak tree, branches and leaves raining down. It disintegrated into yellow dust, leaving only one silver tusk that clattered on the earth. I picked it up and examined it, then slipped it in my backpack. I continued forward as if nothing happened, but my heart was beating furiously against my chest. It was after midnight, so I found a park bench to lie on. I rested my pack on my stomach, zipped it open, and pulled out the tusk. I carefully touched the tip, and I winced as a drop of blood came out. I frowned, then dropped the tusk back in the bag. I shifted my position, now facing my left side. I twisted my owl pendant a few times, and then, my eyes began to close. After a few minutes of darkness, the scene changed. I was frenetically fighting for my life against a couple of what I identified as Scythian dracaenae. They were attacking viciously, and I barely managed to avoid their strikes. Finally, in desperation, I threw the silver tusk at one snake-woman. She wailed as she evaporated into a thin shower of grime. The other panicked, and ran away. I broke into a crazy grin and scooped up the tusk from the cement. Just as I was starting to walk off, an explosion knocked me off my feet and I banged my head on the ground. My dreams faded, and I found myself in darkness. A voice called out, "You'll find your past quite useful someday, Charlie." There was a flash of golden light, and Apollo, wearing simple jeans and a yellow shirt with his trademark Ray-Bans, smiled at me. I didn't return the smile, which was pretty cold, but after seeing my past, which I tried to prevent for two years, I felt angry. "What do you want, Apollo?" I snarled, my hands clenched into fists. "Oh, calm down, Gray. I'm just here to explain things to you." He replied. Without missing a beat, he continued. "I know your dark past. You can't pretend it doesn't exist. It's part of your life. One day, you'll find out it has importance in the future. You'll see." "Why do you care?" I said. "I care because you, along with other heroes, might be able to stop the evil that was once again brewing." The god said mysteriously. "Huh?" Confused, I stared at Apollo. He winked, secretively. "You can't hide pain forever, daughter of Athena. Eventually, your friends in Camp Half-blood will know your secrets." Well, Apollo ignited my temper. "WHO CARES ABOUT MY PAST?!" I yelled. Lucky for me, Apollo was calm. "Everyone, from your siblings to friends." He answered. "As I said, your dreams will become significant. Just wait." He looked at his watch. "Oops, almost time for sunrise. Gotta go! And Charlie Gray, remember what I said." He gave me one more wink and began to glow. I averted my eyes. When I woke up, it was a normal day in Camp Half-blood. Nothing unusual, except that the words of Apollo kept bouncing in my mind. What does Apollo mean? I'm going to find out...... I'm the daughter of Athena after all. Category:Storm Legends